The Dimples
by ChasingYou
Summary: "Yeah, we decided on 'dimples' as a code word for Éponine so that you would finally admit that you like Éponine. We figured it would be easier for you to admit it if you didn't have to say her name." Combeferre glares at the ground, he didn't think he would be the one to blow the cover. Joly and Jehan are usually the blabbering idiots. (Warning: contains swearing)
1. Chapter 1

**The dimples**

**Summary: **"Yeah, we decided on 'dimples' as a code word for Éponine so that you would finally admit that you like Éponine. We figured it would be easier for you to admit it if you didn't have to say her name." Combeferre glares at the ground, he didn't think he would be the one to blow the cover. He thought either Jehan or Joly would mention 'the dimples plan' to Enjolras. They are usual the blabbering idiots.

**Author's note:** This story is based on a dream I once had, but instead of Combeferre asking questions about dimples, it was actually Ellen Degeneres. So if Combeferre seems out of character, it is because I based the conversation on my dream. Also I don't own Les Misérables, if I did, I would be building barricades.

* * *

**Chapter 1: It was better without you**

If we only die once, I wanna die with you.

(If we only live once, I want to live with you.)

One Republic, Something I need.

* * *

"You like the dimples."

Combeferre tries not to shout as he walks into the apartment he shares with Enjolras. But he can't help that his voice is a little louder than it normally is, he is just really enthusiastic. He has waited for this moment for quite some time now and it is finally here, operation dimples is in action.

He knows that his roommate is probably in his room, writing or reading something important in his mind but not important to Comberferre. At least not at this moment when there are more important business to discuss.

But Enjolras doesn't come out of his room, he doesn't even open his bedroom door to see what all the commotion is about which is what Comberferre had hoped for. So instead of waiting patiently for Enjolras to finish whatever the hell he is doing, Combeferre goes into attack mode.

A minute later he is pounding Enjolras's door with his fist.

This does get the desired effect and Enjolras opens his door in less than a minute, effectively stopping Comberferre before he can finish his fifth pound. His hand is still mid-air but he quickly lowers it when he meets Enjolras's glare.

"What do you want?" Enjolras grumbles, clearly not amused by the interruption. Combeferre ignores his friend and simply slips in his bedroom, sitting down on his roommate's bed as if it was his own. He can't help but let his body bounce a little on the bed, he really should suggest a jumping party on Enjolras's bed next time they have a meeting with Les Amis. He is sure someone of the Amis likes jumping on beds just as much as he does.

Enjolras apparently doesn't appreciate him getting comfortable on his bed because Combeferre can see him glaring from his position at the door. He knows he only has a few more minutes of bullshitting around the bush before the glare that Enjolras is giving him will change from 'I don't know what the fuck you are doing, but I don't like it' to 'Get the fuck out of room before I will kill you'.

He has often reached the precious borders between the glares (it tends to happen when you are Enjolras's roommate for as long as Combeferre has been) and one time he had dared to cross this border. It had happened with Grantaire in the room (because when does shit ever go down without Grantaire around), both completely drunk and they might have gotten a bit loud with their musical impressions. Enjolras had had enough after hearing them sing 'As long as you are mine' from wicked and he had literally picked Grantaire by his coat and he had dragged him out of their apartment. Combeferre had received the same treatment but he had been dragged to his own room and Enjolras had said he should stay there or he would kick him out. Combeferre had been afraid, stupidly drunk but still very much afraid. (He suspected Enjolras probably knew how to shoot someone, which didn't help with the fear thing)

So after that experience he had decided to never cross the border again. But he knew he was dangerously close to the border now, because he could see the vein on Enjolras's forehead appear which was a very good indicator of how angry the man was. It was time to get to business.

"You like the dimples." Combeferre said in calm tone, much calmer than he felt because Enjolras was still glaring at him angrily from his permanent stand at the door, ready to kick Combeferre out. But the thing that Combeferre had said must have baffled Enjolras because the marble man lost his posture for a few seconds. He uncrosses his arms and stands a little less stiff. A little less ready to kick Combeferre out of his room. Combeferre takes this as a good sign, Enjolras's bed is really comfortable.

"You like the dimples, you freaking like the dimples," Combeferre continues because he figures Enjolras is just teasing him and if he goes on long enough about the dimples, the other man will just give in and admit to it.

(And he is also kind of giddy, operation dimples was his plan after all.)

But that doesn't happen.

Instead he is met with a blank stare and instead of the baffled expression that had crossed Enjolras face earlier when Combeferre had first mentioned the dimples, the glare is back on his face. In fear of his life, Combeferre decides to go with another strategy.

"We figured that since you are in denial about liking Éponine, we would come up with an object that defines Éponine to us," Combeferre quickly says. After this simply explanation he dares to glance over at Enjolras to gauge his reaction, Enjolras's face has returned to a blank state so Combeferre continues.

"Grantaire wanted to call her little princess but Joly objected saying that she is not really a princess considering her troubled past and all that and then Jehan came up with invisible girl but I think he wanted to be poetic about this and it didn't really matter because Feuilly was against that idea because it would be too obvious. So we finally decided on dimples." He is still rambling, once he has started he can't seem to stop. And Enjolras making him nervous doesn't help at all.

"You finally decided on dimples?" Enjolras repeats. Combeferre thinks Enjolras is just repeating whatever he says to annoy him (he has done it before) so he ignores the comment. It took almost a whole week for the whole Amis to agree on a code name for Éponine so he was not having the object on which the plan was based complain about the codename.

"Yeah, we decided on 'dimples' as a code word for Éponine so that you would finally admit that you like Éponine. We figured it would be easier for you to admit it if you didn't have to say her name."

Combeferre glares at the ground, he didn't think he would be the one to blow the cover. He thought either Jehan or Joly would mention 'the dimples plan' to Enjolras. They are usual the blabbering idiots. But now he is the one who has done the blabbering deed and he is going to hear about it tomorrow at their meeting. And then for the rest of his life.

He is sure of it.

And Enjolras didn't even admit that he liked the dimples yet.

But he had been so sure when he heard of the sighting of Enjolras and Éponine at the library together a few days ago. They were sitting at the same table, even though there were other tables available. Other tables with no people working at them, other tables where they could read in silence. And Combeferre knew for a fact that Enjolras liked to study alone at the library.

But instead they chose to sit together, in the back of the library (where students usually came to make out, but that was a minor detail).

And if that wasn't enough, occasionally they would both look up from their books at the same time and glance at each other. Sometimes they would even smile at each other for a brief moment.

Other times one of them would look up and just stare at the other person for a while and then get back to their reading. It was romantic, or at least it had seemed so when Jehan retold the story (he had been the one who saw them together in the library).

But now he was seriously doubting every word coming from Jehan's mouth when it came to love and romance. The man had a tendency to over romanticize things. And the dance between Enjolras and Éponine was no exception.

"Look Combeferre," Enjolras starts and Combeferre looks up to meet the other man's eyes. He didn't even realise Enjolras has moved from the door to his desk, his arms crossed in front of his chest again. "I don't like the dimples."

Combeferre couldn't stop the sigh that escapes his lips. Here comes the lecture.

"I mean, I like her as a friend but I don't like her in a romantic way," Enjolras explains friendly as if he was explaining it to a child. Combeferre nods his head though he keeps his head down. He is sad, it could have been such a beautiful love story. Now Jehan will be disappointed, he was so excited, he has even started a novel about their friends. The title would have been superboy and the invisible girl (because even though they changed the name to dimples, Jehan still called it operation invisible girl in his head) or something else completely poetic and romantic that would have both Jehan and Cosette swooning.

Apparently Enjolras doesn't know how to deal with a sad Combeferre, especially because he is sad about something so trivial as his and Éponine not-so-romantic-relationship. He just stands at his desk awkwardly, his hands resting on the paper he was writing earlier, wistfully hoping he could just go back to the moment he didn't know about the dimples plan and his only problem was whether or not he should quote Goethe again.

After a few moments of awkward silence Combeferre has enough, he should let his friend get back to his writing. And he really needs a drink but he doesn't think he should tell Enjolras that. He stands up and walks over to the door, but before he walks out, he turns to Enjolras. "Please don't tell anyone about this tomorrow."

"My lips are sealed, mon ami."

* * *

**Author's note 2: **I don't know if anyone is interested but I'm looking for a beta reader because I'm working on chapter 2 as we speak but I'm not really sure about it. So any help is welcome.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note: **I accidently deleted this story from my computer and I had to write this chapter as well as chapter three. I'm not completely happy with this chapter, but it was either this or stare at it for the whole night being sad. So here it is, please leave a review. They make me happy!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Les Misérables. **

* * *

**Chapter 2**

So give me hope in the darkness that I will see the light,  
Cause they gave me such a fright,  
But I will hold as long as you like,  
Just promse me, we'll be alright.

- Ghosts that we knew (by the wonderful Mumford and Sons).

* * *

Three weeks later, Combeferre storms into the apartment again.

"You lied to me!"

This time he does shout and not because he is enthusiastic, it is because he is angry. He didn't think he would be the last one to know anything. Ever. He was someone who was genuinely liked by almost everyone and he had never met anyone who he couldn't get along with.

And the ones he did meet that didn't like him, well, he simply ignored them.

And it hurts even more that it was a thing concerning his best friend. It hurts because he is the guy who has lived with Enjolras for almost five years now, he is the guy who has been friends with Enjolras since they started university together. So why is he the last one to know about this? Why is he the one being left out?

He thinks to himself that he wouldn't be this pissed off if he hadn't asked Enjolras about this girl about three weeks ago, but he did. And Enjolras had denied it, he had denied that he liked Éponine. So why was Grantaire saying now that they were obviously dating. Why was Grantaire absolutely convinced that Éponine and Enjolras were very much in a relationship? And why was he the last one to know, _merde!_

But his storming in doesn't have any effect because Enjolras isn't in the living room to witness it. His bedroom door is still open so Combeferre know he can't be in there. He would have come out if he had heard Combeferre yell the way he just did.

It is only then, when his breathing has slowed down (four flights stairs are a lot, okay!) and he gives himself time to listen, he hears the shower running. In a normal world he would have waited patiently for Enjolras to finish his shower and come out to talk to him. In a normal and rational world he would even make himself a cup of coffee and calm himself down before talking with Enjolras.

But he isn't a normal and rational man, not right now. He feels left out and he just wants to know what is going on. So of course he strides over to their shared bathroom door and starts banging.

It doesn't take long for Enjolras to appear in the door, his body blocking Combeferre's view in the bathroom, a towel hanging low on his hips. His body is still covered with foam. Combeferre feels a little bad, but he reminds himself of his rage instead of the guilt.

"The apartment better be on fire right now," Enjolras grunts. Combeferre normally admires how threating Enjolras can sound, especially when it is directed at Grantaire for being pissed drunk again or at Éponine because she is challenging everything he says. But when it is directed at him, he stands a little taller matching his length to Enjolras'.

"You lied to me. I don't like it when people lie to me," he can be threating as well. If Enjolras can be threating than he sure as hell can be threating. He gets all personal with Enjolras as well, stepping a little closer to the other man's body so he can feel the heat of Enjolras's body.

Enjolras's face has looked blank until he hears what Combeferre says. He actually looks a little upset that Combeferre thought he lied to him, and Combeferre wasn't expecting that. He excepted he could do more yelling towards Enjolras, he didn't get the chance to yell at Enjolras very often. But here was the man looking sad, he didn't expect the man to look sad.

"What do you mean, I lied?"

Ok, this is it, Combeferre. You can't show your confusion at his reaction right now. You know he lied to you. He probably knows that he lied to you as well but he is just really good at masking his emotions from you. You are mad, remember! You are furious, _merde_!

"I asked you a couple of weeks ago, a question about dimples remember?"

Enjolras's face shows some signs of recognition, "and you think I lied to you?"

"Well, yeah Grantaire says you are together."

"And why would Grantaire say that?"

"He saw you two together at the coffee place you always go."

"And that means we are together?"

"Grantaire says he saw you smile at her. You almost never smile, Enjolras. At least not at girls. Even you have to admit, that is weird." He was used to his friend treating girls as if they weren't there, he was used to his friend sighing in disapproval whenever a conversation turned to girls, but he wasn't used to his friend going out for coffee with a girl. Even if that girl was Éponine.

"It is not weird," Enjolras tries to reason "Éponine is a friend. She is my friend as much as you are my friend. You and I go to the coffee shop, so why can't I go with her?" Enjolras' eyebrows disappear in his wet curls, challenging Combeferre to answer his question.

"Because when we go, we are there to meet our friends, but you went with her together."

His acquisition is again met with a blank stare. He swears if this is going down the same route as the first time, he is never going to listen to any of his friends again. He should know better than to believe a word Grantaire says. He is almost as bad as a romantic as Jehan when he is drunk. And he was drunk last night when he supposedly saw Enjolras and Éponine together. For all Combeferre knows the pair Grantaire saw were just a boy and a girl and Grantaire had automatically assumed that it must Enjolras and Éponine because they were bickering.

Enjolras sighs and Combeferre knows Enjolras has reached his limit to deal with Combeferre's irrational thinking.

"Look 'Ferre, yes I went out with Éponine for coffee last night, she was upset about something her parents had done and she just needed someone to talk to. She called me because either Cosette or Grantaire was available. That is all that it was."

"But..but you smiled at her," Combeferre says lamely. He is beginning to sound like a whiny child but he thought operation dimples was back on track. He thought he could be captain again, it was finally his chance to be a leader instead of following his roommate.

"Yes, you know I can smile. See." Enjolras says, forming his mouth in a clenched smile. Combeferre can only hope that he didn't smile the same way when he was with Éponine last night because he didn't want Enjolras to freak the poor girl out. Especially if she was already upset. She would probably run away as far and as fast as she can.

"I really hope you didn't smile at her in that way, you are going to scare the girl away" Combeferre couldn't help but comment. He could have sworn he heard a noise coming from behind Enjolras, but that couldn't be. Enjolras was out here with him, it were probably the downstairs neighbours. They had a tendency to laugh whenever Ellen was on.

To be honest, he was actually kind of glad nothing had happened between Éponine and Enjolras. He really thought Enjolras would come to him if something had happened. He was his best friend after all. He was so lost in his thoughts, he missed Enjolras looking back in the bathroom at the random sound.

Enjolras quickly focused his attention back on Combeferre before saying, "Look, can I go back to my shower now everything is cleared up?"

Combeferre had forgotten about the nearly naked Enjolras, still standing in front of him in nothing but a towel. "Yes, of course. Uh.. I think I'll be going to la Musain" he said turning away from their bathroom.

"Did you at least see the dimples when she smiled back?" Combeferre couldn't help but question.

His answer was a door in his face.

When he walked out of the apartment after that conversation, he could have sworn he heard the noise of laughter coming from the bathroom. It were probably the neighbours again. It _had _to be. Enjolras doesn't laugh in showers and Combeferre had never heard him giggle. So it was defiantly the neighbours, it had to be. He should ask them which episode they are watching, he might enjoy that one as well.


End file.
